Don’t call it exploratory testing (if it’s not exploratory testing)

I don’t like people calling an activity exploratory testing when it’s actually ad hoc testing.

Get it right.

I think using the term “exploratory testing” loosely – takes away from the value that actual exploratory testing can add to a project.

Below are a few questions to ask yourself, to see if you are actually doing exploratory testing (or if it’s in fact ad hoc testing)

Are you doing concurrent test design and test execution at the same time?

Are past findings influencing what you do next?

Have you written some test ideas or goals in mind – to help you explore the application?

Are you documenting your test session?

Are you focussing on both positive and negative scenarios? (if you’re just looking for bugs – this is likely to be ad hoc testing)

Can you explain the process/what you did during the test session to someone else?

Are you a skilled tester? (ad hoc can be done by anyone, doing proper exploratory testing is a skill in itself)

Are you doing SBTM (Session Based Test Management)? This is a way to structure your exploratory testing. If you are doing SBTM, this is a good way to indicate you are doing Exploratory Testing. BUT, if you’re not doing SBTM, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not doing Exploratory Testing.

Updated: I have updated this blog post to help explain the difference between ad hoc testing and exploratory testing by posing a few questions